GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  Al^D  CONDITIOJI 


& 


COUNTY  OF  KANDOLPH,  NORTH  CAROLINA, 


PROF.  MONTROVILLE  WILSON  DICRESON,  M.  D., 

OF  PHILADFLPHIA, 

Member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Science ; the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia;  the  Society  for  Developing 
the  Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,  &c.,  &c. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  CHANDLER,  PRINTER.  306  & 308  CHESTNUT  STREET. 

1860. 


UNIVERSITY  Vr 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
at  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


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OF  THE 

GEOLOGICAL  SUEYEY  AND  CONDITION 


OF  THE 


IN  THE 


COUNTY  OF  RANDOLPH,  NORTH  CAROLINA, 


BT 

PROF.  MONTROVILLE  WILSOX  DICKESOX,  M.  D., 

OF  PHILADFLPHIA, 


Member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Science ; the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia;  the  Society  for  Developing 
the  Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,  &c.,  &c. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  CHANDLER,  PRINTER,  306  & 308  CHESTNUT  STREET. 

1860. 


5 53  ,3 

“T)  r,  (j 


BROWN  AND  EDWARDS 

GOLD  AND  COPPER  PROPERTY, 


RANDOLPH  COUNTY,  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


The  property,  the  subject  of  this  report,  consists  of 
four  several,  but  contiguous  bodies  of  land — herewith 
separately  described — situated  in  the  County  of  Ran- 
dolph, State  of  North  Carolina,  viz : the  Edwards,” 
two  hundred  acres ; the  Lambert,”  one  hundred ; the 
Mendenhall,”  one  hundred,  and  the  Brown,”  thirty- 
six,  making  in  all  four  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres  of 
mineral  land. 

The  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  its  products  are 
excellent,  as  the  North  Carolina  Central  Railroad — 
connecting  with  the  chain  of  railroads  to  Baltimore — 
presents  two  points,  ^^High  Point”  and  the  Thomas- 
ville  Station,”  the  former  four  and  the  latter  but  three 
miles  from  it. 


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ILLiNOIS  LIBRARY 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


4 


^^EDWAKDS.” 

This  property  is  situated  on  the  waters  of  Hunt’s 
Fork,  and  contains  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  which 
possess  also  great  agricultural  value. 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  lands  of  Isaac  B.  New- 
ton, south  by  those  of  James  Collet,  east  by  the  Men- 
denhall” property,  a part  of  the  Brown  and  Edwards,” 
and  on  the  west  by  lands  of  John  Branner. 

I am  satisfied  the  lead  on  this  property  is  identical 
with  the  Twin.”  It  can  be  traced  on  its  northward 
course,  through  the  lands  of  Henry  Johnson,  Squire 
Mendenhall,  and  so  on  into  Guilford  County ; through 
the  Guilford  Mining  Company’s  land — formerly  known 
as  the  Lindsay — distant  about  eight  miles ; but  it  is  very 
distinctly  traceable  three  miles  from  the  outcrop.  On 
its  southern  course,  it  passes  through  the  lands  belong- 
ing to  the  Albertson,  Mount-Pleasant,  Davidson,  Heplar, 
Hindall,  Myers,  Thomas  Lambert  and  Hendrick  Hill 
Mines,  a distance  of  thirteen  miles. 

Two  shafts  are  sunk  upon  the  property ; one  of  which 
is  a mere  prospective  shaft,  and  the  other  is  thirty-one 
feet  in  depth,  sunk  on  the  slope  of  the  vein,  not  timbered, 
dip  30°.  The  vein  is  composed  of  a spongy  quartz,  one 
foot  in  width  at  the  outcrop,  and  upward  of  two  feet  at 
the  extreme  depth  of  the  shaft.  The  underlie  is  com- 
posed of  a hydrated  oxide  of  iron,  profusely  impregnated 
with  gold.  The  water-level,  where  the  copper  ore  will 
intrude,  will  be  reached  here  at  a depth  of  about  forty 
feet.  Large  quantities  of  gold  have  been  taken  from 
this  shaft,  the  average  being  fully  one  dollar  per  bushel. 


There  are  three  distinct  veins  on  this  property.  One, 
that  makes  its  appearance  in  a small  prospective  shaft, 
sank  below  the  surface  for  a short  distance  only,  is 
upward  of  five  feet  in  width.  This  very  limited  de- 
velopment, however,  prevented  me  from  giving  it  more 
than  a superficial  examination.  All  three  veins  have 
been  rich  in  gold,  a very  natural  index,  in  this  forma- 
tion, to  copper  at  the  proper  depth. 

The  improvements  upon  this  property  consist  of  two 
dwelling  houses,  a barn,  carriage  house,  stable,  cribs, 
&c.,  also  a Drag  Mill,  with  a very  superior  bed-stone, 
nine  feet  in  diameter  and  sixteen  inches  in  thickness  j 
good  tubbing,  rockers,  troughs,  &c. 

LAMBERT.” 

This  property  is  a part  of  the  whole,  and  adjoining 
it,  and  contains  one  hundred  acres  of  rolling  land,  very 
heavily  timbered,  and  valuable  for  agricultural  purposes. 
It  has  been  partially  developed  by  a small  shaft  giving 
fair  indications  of  gold,  which  at  water-level  must  run 
into  copper.  The  vein  that  is  exposed  runs  for  more 
than  half  a mile  through  this  property,  and  is  identical 
with  the  Twin.”  It  may  be  considered  an  unexplored 
portion  of  the  whole  property,  but  adding,  at  the  same 
time,  to  the  extention  of  the  lead  as  exposed  on  the 
Edwards.” 


MENDENHALL.” 


This  property  adjoins  the  Edwards”  on  the  east, 
and  the  Brown”  on  the  south,  and  contains  one  hun- 


G 


dred  acres  of  land,  forty  of  which  is  well  timbered.  The 
improvements  on  the  same  consist  of  a good  house,  barn, 
stables,  &c.,  &c.  This  portion  of  the  whole  property  is 
admirably  drained  of  all  surplus  water  by  ravines,  and 
hence  is  well  adapted  for  mining. 

Two  shafts  are  sunk  here  to  the  depth  of  twenty-five 
feet,  and  both  striking  a vein.  The  largest  of  these  is 
about  one  foot  in  width,  and  it  is  confirmed  at  the  full 
depth  of  the  shaft  as  a true  vein.  Both  of  these  veins 
were  traced  over  a fourth  of  a mile  on  the  property,  and 
the  largest  outcrop  measured  eighteen  inches  in  width. 
There  are  three  distinct  veins  on  this  property,  but 
little,  however,  has  been  accomplished  toward  their 
development. 


BROWN." 

This  property  is  situated  on  the  waters  of  the  Uwharie, 
and  contains  thirty-six  acres,  chiefly  wood-land.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  land  of  William  Mendenhall, — a 
part  of  the  whole  property,  and  the  subject  of  this  re- 
port,— west  by  those  of  James  Collet,  north  by  lands  of 
William  Buddick,  and  east  by  those  of  John  Frazier. 

I found  three  distinct  veins  passing  through  this  pro- 
perty. The  most  prominent  of  these,  from  the  extent 
of  its  development,  I have  designated  as  the  Iron  vein. 
It  was  worked  by  a Mr.  Mendenhall,  who  obtained 
several  very  rich  pockets  of  gold,  which  have  been  vari- 
ously estimated  in  product  at  from  five  to  ten  thousand 
dollars.  The  walls  soft  but  regular,  composed  of  a mix- 
ture of  dial  age  and  slate.  The  ore  is  rich,  and  is  known 


7 


as  the  coffee  grounds.”  The  pitch  of  the  vein  west 

45°. 

The  original  shaft  upon  this  property  was  sunk  by 
Elias  Albertson,  to  the  depth  of  twenty-two  feet,  in 
which  the  vein  was  struck  at  a depth  of  sixteen  feet. 
It  was  eight  inches  in  width,  composed  entirely  of  iron 
and  copper  pyrites,  the  whole  vein  carrying  gold  and 
enlarging  as  it  descended.  This  shaft  is  in  a condition 
of  dilapidation. 

Another  shaft  is  sunk  about  thirty-five  feet  in  depth, 
and  it  is  well  timbered.  From  this  a tunnel  has  been 
driven  for  about  the  same  distance,  to  connect  with  the 
above  described  shaft,  from  which  good  gold  has  been 
taken.  By  drifting  from  the  tunnel,  the  vein  was 
reached,  which  gave  good  copper  ore,  varying  from  five 
to  thirteen  inches  in  width,  the  analysis  of  which  showed 
twenty-two  per  cent  of  pure  copper. 

The  copper  ore  is  thoroughly  incorporated  with  iron 
pyrites,  and  shows  but  little  quartz  in  the  upper  work- 
ings ; at  a depth  of  about  twenty  feet  in  the  shaft,  the 
vein  being  quite  irregular,  and  the  ore  appearing  in  the 
form  of  pockets.  Beyond  this  point,  however,  the  vein 
has  been  cross-cut,  and  found  to  be  regular,  and  can  be 
traced  by  the  outcrop  on  its  northern  course. 

On  the  property  there  is  quite  a number  of  veins  run- 
ning irregularly,  which  probably  will  unite  below,  and 
form  an  important  vein,  as  the  copper  ore  is  of  superior 
quality. 


8 


LOCAL  GEOLOGY. 

The  rocks  in  this  immediate  vicinity  are  of  the  ordinary 
granite  of  the  country,  which  incloses  the  vein  fissures. 
The  vein  rarely  exceeds  three  feet  in  width  at  the  out- 
crop, which  is  generally  found  from  seven  to  ten  inches 
in  thickness,  and  gradually  increasing  in  volume  in  its 
descent. 

I do  not  recognize  an  unusually  large  outcrop  as  a 
conclusive  indication  of  value,  as  the  most  productive 
mines  in  this  State  have  been  commenced  on  quite  small 
outcrops. 

As  is  common  to  the  formation  here,  the  vein-stone  is 
quartz,  bordered  on  either  side  by  slate,  which  fills,  in 
part,  the  vein  fissures.  In  this  state,  all  the  mineral 
contents  of  the  veins  are  frequently  found  in  the  slate, 
and  occasionally  the  brown  oxide  of  iron  is  disseminated 
through  it,  as  well  as  the  quartz. 

The  most  valuable  ore  of  this  locality,  at  present,  is 
a brown  gold  ore,  lying  in  immediate  proximity  to  the 
vein,  the  consequence  of  the  decomposition  of  the  pyrites, 
and  subsequently  becoming  agglutinated  with  the  con- 
tiguous formation.  The  most  valuable  portion  of  it  is 
the  hydrated  oxide  of  iron,  which,  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  micaceous  oxide — much  inferior  in  quality  and  pro- 
duction— requires  great  care. 

The  micaceous  oxides  are  the  most  abundant,  and  in 
a measure  worthless.  Those,  practical  in  the  specific 
character,  selection  or  separation  of  gold  ores,  are  con- 
versant of  this  fact,  and  therefore  condemn  them  at  first 
sight,  while,  at  the  same  time,  their  reasons  for  it  are 


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expressed  by  the  terms  fat  and  lean,  lively  and  dead, 
healthy  and  unhealthy,”  &c.,  &c. 

The  direction  of  the  veins  in  this  vicinity  is  north- 
east and  south-west.  They  are  generally  composed  of 
quartz  and  iron  pyrites  in  the  upper  workings,  but  in 
the  depth  the  iron  disappears,  and  the  copper  intrudes, 
or  takes  its  place. 

The  brown  ores,  whose  gangue  is  composed  of  either 
iron  pyrites,  oxide  of  iron  or  quartz  and  copper  pyrites, 
uniformly  run,  as  they  approach  water-level,  into  a 
combination — by  the  bye,  not  chemical — of  iron  and 
copper  pyrites.  Hence  such  formation  can  be  relied 
upon  for  copper  ore. 

The  gold-bearing  rock  on  the  Edwards,”  appears  to 
have  belonged  to  two  geological  periods : that  of  the 
earliest,  embracing  rocks  of  gneiss,  talcose,  slates,  &c., 
or  pyrocristoline  rocks;  the  latter,  the  palaeozoic,  as 
well  as  beds.  Hence  the  division  of  distinct  periods  to 
which  the  cupriferous  veins  must  be  assigned,  being  those 
of  organized  matter,  and  the  period  succeeding  it. 


KESUME. 

This  property,  composed  of  the  previously  described 
properties,  viz. : the  “ Edwards,”  Lambert,”  Menden- 
hall,” and  “ Brown,”  uunder  the  title  at  the  head  of 
this  report,  of  Brown  and  Edwards,  contains  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  acres  of  mineral  land. 

Situated  at  the  moderate  distance  of  from  three  to 
four  miles  from  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  — em- 


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bracing  two  stations — the  means  of  transportation  of 
its  products  to  a market,  are  all  that  is  required. 

The  property  being  composed  of  rolling  land,  well 
timbered,  and  nature  having  thus  arranged  in  its  for- 
mation, for  its  drainage,  it  possesses  all  the  external 
requisites  for  easy  and  successful  mining. 

Much  work  has  been  executed,  as  will  be  seen  in  the 
descriptions  of  the  different  properties  of  which  it  is 
composed,  and  numerous  veins  have  been  developed 
and  established  for  gold,  that  having  been  the  leading 
purpose,  heretofore,  of  exploration  and  development 
upon  it. 

The  indications  and  evidences  of  copper  ore  are  good, 
and  hence,  below  water-level  there  is  every  probability 
that  this  property  will  be  found  to  be  rich  in  cupri- 
ferous matter. 

The  territorial  limits  of  this  property  are  large,  and 
it  is  so  compact  in  form  as  to  give  the  veins  an  extended 
and  continuous  run  for,  comparatively,  an  indefinite 
period  of  time. 

MONTROYILLE  W.  DICKESON,  M.  D., 
Economic  Geologist, 

424  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Penna. 


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